Dark Crimes (3 Stars)

"Truth is what you make it. Reality is perception".

Despite giving this film only an average rating last time I watched it in September, I thought I should give it another chance. In my second viewing I was able to see that it's a powerful film with philosophical depth, but I shan't change my rating. There's too much violence against women for me to enjoy the film. Even Jim Carrey's character, the policeman Tadek Pitzak, joins in the violence.

The film takes place in Poland, in a very ugly concrete town, shortly after the fall of Communism, probably the early 1990's. Corruption is rife in the police force, and Tadek is one of the few good guys. It's difficult to say what his rank is. He used to be a detective, but he's been demoted to a desk job as punishment for challenging the promotion of his colleague Adam Greger to chief of police. An old murder case fascinates him, so he begs for permission to investigate it, despite having been relieved of active duty.

A year ago a policeman, Daniel Sadovski, was fished out of the water dead. It was Adam Greger who investigated the case, but he closed the case because there were not enough leads to continue. Tadek finds that in the latest book of a local author, Krystov Koslov, the circumstances of the murder are exactly described, even though they were never disclosed to the public. Tadek is convinced that Koslov was the murderer, but a cat and mouse game ensues, and Tadek is clearly no match for his intellectually superior opponent. After being interviewed Krystov wrongly accuses Tadek of torturing him, and his accusations are an exact repeat of how a ruthless detective treated the murder suspect in his novel. It's all a game for him.

Tadek tries to remain impartial, but he begins an affair with Koslov's girlfriend Kasia, making him vulnerable to blackmail. Everything is somehow connected with an exclusive sex club, The Cage, which was frequented not only by Koslov, but by several high ranking police officers.

Jim Carrey's character is very subdued; he's quiet and brooding throughout. It's very difficult to relate to him as the film's hero. Charlotte Gainsbourg is more likeable as Kasia.

"Dark Crimes" has a rating of 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. I wish I could give the film a higher rating, if only to contradict the Rotten Reviewers, but there's too much ugliness in the film. I hate violence against women, and I can only tolerate it if a film takes a clear moral stand against it. That's not the case here.

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